


Soul Direction

by Miss_EmptyFull



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adding too many tags spoils the story doesn't it?, Angst, Depression, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mutilation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Smut, actual character development, and I will not be sorry, before it's too late, i will betray you, i'm warning everyone, there's a lot of stuff that's going to happen in this story, this is not a regular ship, underswap - Freeform, you will be betrayed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-22 11:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6078057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_EmptyFull/pseuds/Miss_EmptyFull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>US!Sans was always a bit too trusting of the world he lived in, now that he's met someone new in Snowdin’s forests, that everlasting trust may come back to bite him in the most pleasurable and harmful ways. For his brother as well.</p><p>Part 1 of Soul Direction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crystals in Trees

**Author's Note:**

> As a new author on this site, I'd like to say first and foremost, hi!
> 
> I'd like to say that just so you know, I will never ever write a story just for the sake of smut. The very idea makes my stomach churn.
> 
> Undertale story, smut and plot in one. First part of "Soul Direction" (EDIT: Yes I changed the title.)
> 
> Set in the Underswap AU. Multiple pairings, some one-sided, OC included. You'll probably like them...
> 
> Probably...
> 
> Please keep in mind, this is not only the first story in which I have to write for Underswap, but this is my first Undertale related story I've ever written.

Papyrus grinned in a lax manner as he listened to his younger brother explain the importance of keeping their puzzles in check in case of the arrival of a human, he twirled the lollipop in between his teeth as he nodded to everything his brother was saying. Occasionally chuckling when his laziness was brought into question as he laughed it off.

That was until, Sans said something that caught Papyrus off guard.

“even the mightiest of warriors have to keep their puzzles in pristine condition and always improve. such as myself!”, Sans proclaimed before continuing on in a hushed tone, “even they were able to solve my puzzle without so much as a second glance...”

_“they”...?_

The elder brother opened his right eye socket to look over to his much shorter brother who now looked perturbed. “Bro...?”

Sans looked over quickly, now snapped out whatever thoughts he had been in moments before. He grinned, “although this will not discourage me! I, the mighty sans, will develop even more complex puzzles so even the most intellectual of adversaries will be thoroughly fooled! mweh-heh-heh!”

Papyrus let out a soft laugh at this, “I'm sure you will bro, just don't overdo it alright?”

Sans nodded and then decided it was about time for the two to have dinner, so he went away to begin making tacos for he and his elder brother.

Papyrus felt his smile stretch uncomfortably as he recalled Sans’ words from earlier. As far back as the tall skeleton could remember - which was more than anyone else these days - sadly no-one had ever cared quite enough for his precious little sibling to follow him in his patrols.

So he was happy that people were finally realizing how cool his brother was.

At least, he was happy.

A few days later while coming home from Muffet’s, the bar down the street from his home, Papyrus was casually sucking down a bottle of honey he had gotten from said bar. Chuckling to himself as he remembered Muffet’s constant flirting as he sat at the bar. 

If it had been any other monster, he would have called it harassment. Although Muffet somehow always managed to keep things casual as she grinned at him from across the counter. He always found her to be charming, despite not being interested in her in any romantic way. He didn't have time for relationships, he had to care for his little brother and make sure he had enough time to be lazy as well. He didn't want to ruin his well groomed reputation after all.

The tall skeleton stopped walking as he came up to his home, he put the honey bottle away inside his hoodie pouch. His face remained neutral as he looked around and inspected the area.

Something wasn't right.

The lights inside the house were off, even though Sans always turned on the living room light after he got home. 

Was his brother even home? Perhaps he was still at his post? In that case, had a human shown up?

The questions ran through Papyrus’ head as he tried to figure out why the lights were off.

Sure, usually if this were some other monster he were thinking about, something a bit out of routine wouldn't be surprising. But Sans, Sans had a whole schedule in his head. No matter how his daily tasks were done, they were always done. Never before did the big-boned skeleton go awry from this schedule.

So Sans wouldn't be home late without a good reason.

The tall skeleton sighed as he turned away from his house to see if anyone was looking his way, Sans’ post was all the way back at the entrance to the ruins. Basically: Too much effort.

So Papyrus promptly teleported to where he could see the gate his brother had created, the bars were close together, with a small door that was usually locked shut. Although, Papyrus liked to sometimes point out that for anything his height, getting past the gate was no problem. He had even proved it to Sans by stepping right over it with his long legs. His small brother had gotten extremely flustered at this and claimed that it was still an obstacle nonetheless.

Papyrus would have chuckled at that memory, if he hadn't noticed the doorway in the gate was wide open.

Now that wasn't normal...

Papyrus’ brow bunched together in worry as he walked closer to the sentry station. “Bro...you here?”, he called out.

He stood there for a minute before concluding, his brother wasn't there. He sighed in irritation and worry, where could the small monster be?

He turned back in the direction of Snowdin before stopping after he noticed something.

In the artificial snow behind the sentry station Sans had built, there were boot prints and a wave pattern, as if something smooth had been dragged along the snow. The tracks led into the forest that was again, artificial.

Papyrus frowned as he followed the small boot prints of his brother further into the woods.

“Where the hell are you Sans...?”, he muttered.

It wasn't like Sans to abandon his post, it was too careless of him, too irresponsible - as Sans would probably describe it.

The tall skeleton at times lost his trail amongst the bushes in the forest and then couldn't find it at all.

It took him what felt like half an hour to find a clearing in the woods that he never knew was there, and Sans.

Papyrus gasped in surprise as he spotted the small skeleton lying in the ground, wrapped up in a large blanket, completely still.

The elder brother teleported to Sans’ side, not wanting to waste any more time in checking on him.

“Sans! Bro...?”, he asked softly tilting the younger’s face so he could see him. Eye sockets shut, mouth turned down in a small frown.

Papyrus shook him softly, “Bro...c’mon, wake up!" A soft groan came from the smaller skeleton and Papyrus sighed in relief.

The big eye sockets opened not even halfway. “...brother...?”, Sans’ usually enthusiastic tone sounded completely drained.

The elder brother became even more concerned as he noticed that Sans was missing his clothes and naked under the blanket.

“Sans...hold on, don't say anything. I'll get you home...”, he stated as he lifted his brother into his arms.

And disappeared from sight.

Just then a figure walked into the clearing and looked around, “Ah...this is no good...”

As Papyrus teleported with Sans back to their home, he laid Sans out on the couch. Crouching beside him, Papyrus stroked the side of Sans’ face softly to get him to look at him.

“Sans? C’mon bro, I need you awake...”, he urged as he saw the large eye sockets drooping closed.

Sans seemed to try and shake himself awake and force his sockets to open at least halfway. “i-i’m awake...i’m......i’m alright...”, he answered softly.

Papyrus managed a small reassuring smile at him, “I know you are bro...but...I need you to tell me what happened out there. Did somebody...hurt you?”

Sans closed his eye sockets for a moment before shaking his head, “no...”

“Sans...? Are you lying so I won't hurt who did this?"

“...m-maybe...?”

Papyrus’ brow furrowed as a faint orange light formed in his right eye socket, “I see...” He made to stand, but Sans gripped at his shorts to stop him.

“brother don't! th-they didn't hurt me i guess they just....assaulted me? but i don't think they meant me any harm!”, he cried out trying to not make his brother any angrier.

Papyrus sighed as he saw the desperation in his brother's eyes, “Sans, exactly how did they assault you?" He then noticed Sans’ hand, there were scuff marks on the back of it. He reached down to grab the hand gripping his shorts and then reached for the hand still hidden under the blanket.

“What are these?”, he asked lowly as he inspected the marks.

Sans sighed softly as he forced out, “th-they kinda, maybe...tied my hands to a tree...?”

He winced at Papyrus’ expression, it hadn't changed a bit, but the orange light in the right eye socket had only gotten brighter.

His brother was pissed.

“Did...they...Sans, were you raped? ‘Cause you know, rape and assault are _very_ different things...”

“no! no i wasn't raped papy! I was telling the truth! i...i just think they were lonely and wanted someone to comfort them... they were a bit rough, but they didn't hurt me at all!”

Papyrus shook his head, “But tying you to a tree?! Ugh...Sans...Did you give them consent to do this to you? _Directly?_ ”

Sans scooted back so he could sit up more, Papyrus helped him silently. “they asked me if i wanted to try something....i asked why and they said, it would make them feel better... so yes, i did. i wanted to help.”, Sans explained in a less soft manner than before.

Papyrus sighed, the orange flame in his eye going out almost immediately. Leave it to his brother to want to help everyone, no matter what.

He didn't think that this trait of Sans’ was a bad thing though. In fact, he adored it, the ability to see good in everyone. It was just...dangerous...

Papyrus shook his head tiredly, “Either way, hurting you in any way is completely unacceptable Sans. You didn't know what you were getting yourself into, they manipulated you bro...” 

He looked up at Sans, knowing he was about to protest, “So...I'll go talk to them. Tell them to not do that again.”

Sans blinked and smiled brightly, “only talk, you promise?”

Papyrus sighed deeply, “Yeah bro...I promise... Will you be alright here, by yourself?”

Sans nodded grinning, “the mighty sans will be perfectly fine! you don't need to worry about me!”

Papyrus couldn't help but smile and shake his head incredulously at the enthusiasm despite the situation, his brother was so cool.

He stood up and turned on the light to the living room with a flick of his magic, “I'll be back soon then. Don't push yourself.”

Sans nodded and watched his brother leave the house, silence...

His grin fell.

He turned to look at his covered body before hesitantly moving the blanket out of the way. His bones felt hot as he started looking at his crotch. Before that night, he had never felt anything so intense in his life.

It wasn't like before, there was something missing. What had they done to get it to appear?

He touched his pelvis and a soft whimper escaped him, he stroked his fingers against it softly. Ah, there it was, glowing a familiar blue and already needy.

Sans pouted as he inspected the ectoplasmic glowing blue organ, “after papy talks to byul, i won't be able to see her anymore...”

His finger bones stroked the tip and he let out a quiet gasp, “i-i guess i’ll just have to m-make due then...”

Papyrus didn't need to find the clearing in the forest again, after he had been there once, teleporting there was nothing to him.

He looked around once he was there, now feeling more keen to inspecting the place without his brother there.

It was beautiful, there were a lot of crystals in the roof of the mountain in this part of Snowdin, there were even some embedded into the trees as well. Grass, a rare sight in Snowdin, was everywhere.

Papyrus would have been impressed, if he weren't so pissed about the beautiful site being the same site his brother was assaulted in.

“Anybody there?”, he asked still looking around. He began to pace along the diameter of the clearing, not noticing the figure watching him from a high branch. It was gone the next second.

“ _Are you lazybones?_ ”, a soft voice asked from the trees.

Papyrus gave a humorless chuckle, “So Sans has been talking about me? Mean... But who are you?”

“ _Me? I'm Byul... What are you doing here? Did you take Sans home?_ ”

“Yeah...So I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. I want you to stay away from my bro, forever.”, Papyrus’ pacing stopped as he announced this 

An amused laugh that disturbingly reminded Papyrus of Muffet’s giggling echoed in the small clearing.

“ _Oh~? Is that right? Why do you want me away? He did agree to help me. If Sans doesn't help me, who will?_ ”

Papyrus could see something in his peripheral, he turned his head to the middle of the clearing.

There she stood, a creature with a likeness that Papyrus had seen in dreams and nightmares. 

Byul appeared to be human, but not like the one that Papyrus had envisioned. This one was older, her stature was different, taller and petite. 

Brown skin, short black hair that stopped at her neck with bangs that obscured her eyes. She wore a large white sweater that covered everything from her mouth to her wrists to her hips. Black tights covered her legs and she didn't have shoes on.

Byul stood there, right leg crossed over the left with her feet in a point. Head turned to the side with her hands clasped behind her.

No. She wasn't standing, she was hovering!

Papyrus could now see, the grass beneath her wasn't being stepped on, but hovered over.

He felt the orange light flicker into existence, not human, looked human, but not human. Not a monster either.

“What are you?”, he asked lowly.

Byul turned towards him and kicked her legs up behind her so she was floating as if she were on an invisible bed, her fists tucked underneath her chin, pulling her sweater down to reveal her mouth.

“Papyrus, Papyrus, Papyrus...tsk, tsk...You still haven't answered my question...”

She giggled.


	2. Wishing Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus is getting anxious, and a certain someone is enjoying seeing him squirm.

Papyrus watched as Byul’s mouth parted to giggle just a bit. He chuckled incredulously, “Why the hell should I care? That's your problem, not mine, friend...”

Byul's smile became even wider as she tilted her head, “How unfair...you take away my support and then leave me with nothing? How very cruel...”

“You assaulted my little bro.”, Papyrus reminded her with bitterness clear in his voice.

Byul scoffed lightly as if not believing him, “He offered himself to me. I don't see how I'm at fault here...”

Byul straightened herself so she was once again in an upright position in midair, with a small pout, she floated over to Papyrus like nothing. Her face parallel to his and about two feet away from him, she could see the anger in his expression.

A giggle threw Papyrus off guard as he stared up at the floating girl. “Do you wish to know...what I did to your delectable sibling...?”, she asked.

An orange flame flickered dangerously.

Byul continued on, “He was so clueless at first and frightened when I started touching him, I had to keep assuring that I wouldn't hurt him...The sweet thing was trying his best to not moan while I undressed him...truly, the most adorable part was when... _I pushed a finger inside the rim of his pelvic bone._ ”

That was it.

Byul was sent flying back into a tree, her soul having turned blue.

The impact made her bangs fly up for only a second to reveal eyes as white as the crystals embedded into the trees around them. Her eyes remained wide and unperturbed by the impact even as they were again obscured by her hair.

Byul slid down the tree to hit the ground roughly, she looked up.

The tall skeleton’s eye roared with the orange flame now, his arm outstretched towards her, ready to send her flying once again.

A grin made itself present on her face, “His squeals were delectable.”

Byul was thrown again.

“Truly, it pleased me when he cried out through his pleasure...”

Once again, into the ground this time.

“He moaned for me to stop...then for me to keep going...”

Papyrus growled in frustration as he strode over to her, he gripped the collar of her sweater and pulled her up to face him.

“Shut the fuck up about my brother you witch.”, he said through gritted teeth.

“I didn't hurt him did I?”, Byul asked.

Papyrus blinked at this, “What?”

Byul wasn't grinning anymore, instead a small frown was on her face.

“He's...not hurt...right?”, she asked again quietly.

There was silence in between the two as they stared at each other. Papyrus trying to look past her thick bangs into her eyes, Byul just staring awaiting her answer.

The collar of her sweater was released and Byul dropped to the ground.

The orange flame, hesitantly died out as Papyrus inspected Byul's soul as it faded, no longer blue.

After a long pause Papyrus spoke, “Shit...it's just like Sans said then...” Papyrus stated lowly as he gazed down at her.

Byul didn't appear to have taken any damage from the attacks and so, stood up without any problem. “What, pray tell, did Sans say?”, she asked curiously.

Papyrus shook his head sighing, “You're lonely...searching for comfort...so you used my brother.”

Byul nodded curtly, “Yes...I...I did not mean to hurt him, I-I just wanted to hear his pleasure... I'm so sorry...”

Papyrus sighed, “N-no...he's not hurt Byul, he's strong, he said himself he was alright. I'm glad you apologized though...now I don't feel like I have to fight you...”

Byul looked down pulling her sweater collar over her mouth as she went into a sudden coughing fit, her body shook violently as this happened. 

Papyrus leaned over hesitantly, “H-hey, are you...not well?"

Byul's coughing fit had yet to let up and instead, got worse with every cough. It sounded as if she were struggling to even breathe in between coughs.

Concerned, Papyrus reached out to her and she seized his wrist swiftly, “ _Don't..._ ” She panted out, her mouth peeking out from her collar. The coughing had finally let up.

Papyrus blinked and tried to take back his hand, “Umm sorry... Uh, are you gonna let go?”

Byul's grip went slack and she turned her head up to him as he pulled his hand away, “S-sorry...I didn't...”

Papyrus noticed that her hands were shaking and frowned, “What's wrong with you? You seem...sickly...? That would surprise me considering how you brushed my attacks off like they were nothing.”

Byul looked down once again, “I suppose...yes that is what you could call it. A sickness.”

Papyrus looked at her face, she was still short of breath. 

“Painful?"

“Yes.”

“Curable?”

“No.”

The frown grew deeper, despite it seeming impossible with Papyrus’ mouth structure. “You're going to die...?”, he asked once more.

“Everyone dies...the same as everyone lives.”, Byul droned out as if she'd been saying the same thing for years as she gripped her hand in an attempt to stop its shaking. “I'm no different."

Papyrus nodded as he turned away from her, “So...you're dying, you don't know what to do and you don't have anyone near you, around you, with you... So when you find my brother, you hold off for a little while -- because I know you were hanging around him before --, then after a few days you just can't help yourself...you pounce. Am I right so far?"

Byul turned her head and sighed softly, “Mostly.”

“Mostly?”, Papyrus echoed turning back to her. “Please, enlighten me.”

Byul turned her head back to him and straightened up, her feet picking up from the ground once more. “Comfort was only one of the reasons I went after Sans...and it was a very, _very_ small reason.”

“Then what were your other reasons?”

“Hunger.”

“Hunger?”

“Yes...”

Papyrus stared at her blankly before chuckling softly and glaring, “That, is also known as lust you witch...”

“If it were lust, I wouldn't have done anything. I meant what I said. It was hunger for pleasure, the same as if you were to hunger for some nice cream... Except a million times worse.”, Byul explained now lying back in midair.

“You...feel hunger...for pleasure...? That's the story you're trying to make me believe right now?", Papyrus tried to confirm.

“I'm not trying to _make_ you believe anything. I don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm telling the truth. Besides, I haven't lied to you yet...why waste time and effort on that now?”

Papyrus nodded curtly, “Good point. So...this hunger...how often do you have it? How often do you need to...eat I guess?”

“I'm not sure, I have not been down here very long, so I do not know for certain. I...”, Byul looked to the crystal and rock ceiling, “The hunger was nothing at first, almost nonexistent. Then it began building up, getting more and more painful. I was in so much pain, I had to eat...”

This made Papyrus start. Of course, why hadn't he caught this earlier?

Being underground for hundreds and hundreds of years -- although he hadn't lived that long -- he'd never seen Byul before. 

All of monsterkind being trapped underground for thousands of years, and he'd never even heard of a creature such as Byul before, and it wasn't because she lived in a different area like Hotland or Waterfall or the Ruins...she had appeared in the Underground.

But why, _how_?

Papyrus then blinked as he noticed Byul floating by his face, her face tilted to the side. “Hello? Lazybones are you home?”, she called softly.

Papyrus looked to her once again, shaking his head to try and keep his mind present. “Where are you from? What are you?”, he asked once again, his voice low.

Byul frowned, seeming bothered by that question. 

“How about you? Where are you from? What are you? Where do you work? What do you do on the weekends? How’s your health? Kids, wife, husband? Wife and husband? How are the neighbors treating you? You have a pet? Multiple pets? What’s Sans up to? Are taxes these days rough on you guys? How about-?” “ **OKAY!** Okay, shit, I get it! I’m asking too much! Jeez, you could’ve just said so...”, Papyrus exclaimed throwing his hands up in surrender.

Byul gave a small smile before floating backwards away from him, “As long as you understand, it’s rude to be that nosy. If it has to do with Sans, I have no problem answering. My past has nothing to do with this.” She sighed muttering under her breath as she moved her feet so she could stand upon the ground.

Papyrus noticed with no little humor, that despite her seemingly superior height while she floated in the air, Byul was indeed shorter than him. By at least one or two heads, still taller than Sans, but short in comparison to the taller skeleton brother, all the same.

“So...? Is that all you have to ask?”, Byul called now crossing her arms, the bell shaped sleeves of her sweater hugging her wrists in such a way that they didn’t slide out of place at all.

Papyrus shook his head looking away again to observe the crystal-embedded trees, “The hunger and the sickness, two-in-one I’m guessing?”

“Yes. I hunger for pleasure, the sickness hurts me more and more until I feed myself.”, Byul explained.

“Does anything else help?”

“...”

Papyrus glanced over to find Byul staring at the ceiling once again her arms hanging limply at her sides, “Byul?”

She didn’t react but softly spoke instead, “You said my name...” Her head slightly tilted in his direction and Papyrus caught a flash of white directed at him through her black bangs. He blinked, and the white was gone again. He silently wondered if he’d ever see her eyes clearly.

“Well, what else can I call you? How about just kid...?”, Papyrus suggested.

“I'm not a child.”

“Well, obviously...but younger than me?”

“Doubt it...”, a small smirk was directed towards him, “But it is possible...”

Papyrus nodded before Byul continued on with her answer.

“I seem to remember eating stars as well to fill myself."

A still air filled the silence between them.

“Yup, that's it, I'm going home. You're crazy, see ya’.”, Papyrus stated bluntly getting ready to teleport straight home.

“Wait!", Byul floated over to him with a speed he had not seen before. “Why do you think I'm crazy?"

Papyrus shook his head incredulously for what felt like the hundredth time that day and felt his fingers grasp a small box in his shorts pocket, “One; There aren't any stars down here. Two; _Eating stars?_ C'mon you can't even blame me for that one.”

Byul nodded slightly, “I suppose you're right, but I really do eat stars! If I could get my hands on one though...I don't know how much it'd fill me, but it would definitely help.”

Papyrus gripped his head absent-mindedly and sighed, “Look, the closest thing monsters have to stars down here are the crystals in the ceiling of the wishing room...and if those don't work...” He stopped himself.

Byul's giggling drew his attention to her, she shook her head slowly. “Then my life will be forfeit...I know. Thank you Papyrus, I'll try the wishing room out tomorrow. For now...”, she floated over behind a tree to pick something up. 

She came back around with a bundle of white and blue clothing, “I believe Sans will be missing these. I apologize for taking them, but they were dirty so I had to wash them.” She held the bundle of clothing out to him.

Papyrus nodded in thanks accepting the bundle, “Yeah, I was wondering why he was wrapped up in an old blanket...he'll really appreciate this.”

Byul nodded before flipping backwards in the air, a small smile on her face. “Tell Sans I said I'm sorry, and thank you...”, she requested quietly.

Papyrus nodded before looking at her with one eye socket closed in a tired wink, “I better not hear anything about you assaulting my bro again.”

Byul simply shook her head before she began floating upwards towards the high branches of the trees around them.

Papyrus took that as his cue to leave and turned away to walk into the thick of the forest again, he would've teleported home immediately, if he didn't seriously need some time to think.

There was no question about his intentions from that point on. He wouldn't hurt Byul.

There wasn't a manipulative bastard out there, waiting for impressionable monsters to come by so they could take advantage of them. No selfish rapist, who simply wanted sex at the expense of another's pain.

Just Byul, a hungry and tired creature who needed help. He could accept that, and more importantly, he could forgive that.

Although some things were still bothering him.

First, there was her soul.

When Papyrus cast the blue effect on a soul, he could clearly see the soul in front of the owner of the soul.

The same as expected happened with Byul except, when Papyrus had her in front of him and her soul was laid bare to him. He couldn't exactly...see the shape of it.

Monsterkind had upside down hearts, humans had them flipped right side up, animals had leftward or rightward facing souls, but Byul...

Byul had a mass...

That was the only way Papyrus could describe it, a mass of neither dark nor light nor any specific color. Seemingly fluctuating in front of her and no shape to be seen...

That bothered Papyrus more than he would admit.

Then there was...

 _“Then my life will be forfeit...I know.”_ , he couldn't get her wispy voice out of his head.

She was an adult like him, he knew just from observation, but she was so...resigned to her fate. It felt as if in that moment, she was so much older than him, and had already been given all the time in the world to accept her cruel fate.

There was no sadness in her voice as she stated that, no fire, no fight.

_“I know.”_

He sighed and with one hand, pulled a small white object out of his pocket and stuck one end of it in his mouth. The walk home was long, and the now lit cigarette would keep him company in the meantime.

He just needed the silence at that moment.

\---

Papyrus arrived home within the hour, and was glad to notice that Sans wasn't on the couch anymore and the whole house smelled of cleaner. 

He chuckled softly thinking Sans couldn't help but clean the house while he was gone, despite knowing that Papyrus would just make a mess of it again.

Papyrus walked over to the TV stand and laid the bundle of Sans’ clothes on top of it, trying not to drop it so it would fall off.

He then trudged over to the couch, eye sockets already half-lidded. His body wasn't used to this much use of magic and involvement in physical labor, needless to say, he was just short of exhausted. He slumped back on to the couch and his head hit the armrest, he didn't mind the small ache, it very quickly disappeared as he exhaled smoke into the air above him and watched it shift.

Everything became still...

“papyrus?”

And began moving again...

His eye sockets snapped open to see Sans leaning over his face, “Hey bro...”

He glanced to the window, the magically simulated “nighttime” hadn't faded into “daytime" yet. It was still night. With a sluggish click of his teeth, Papyrus was able to confirm, he'd still been asleep for a while. His cigarette had burned down to nothing. Being made of magic, it left no ash behind, but the usual toxic smell was still prominent much to Sans’ displeasure.

“hi...you were gone for a while brother. did you and byul talk for a while?”

Papyrus looked up at the ceiling trying to clear the fog in his head, “Yeah...we did. S’all okay now, she said she'd leave ya’ alone alrigh’?”

Sans nodded, big eye sockets blinking at his brother. Papyrus opened one eye socket a bit more to gaze curiously at his unusually silent sibling.

 _“Oh...”_ , Papyrus smiled tiredly, “You want to know if I hurt her...”

Sans shook his head quickly, “n-no, that's not it! i...it's just that...” The white lights in his eyes darted to the side nervously. Papyrus waited patiently for Sans to continue. 

Sans looked back at Papyrus sighing a bit, “it's just...you can be a bit...unreasonable sometimes when it comes to protecting me papyrus...”

The taller skeleton brother sighed softly at this, “Yeah, you're right...and...I may have...thrown her into a tree or two when she started taunting me.”

 _“papyrus!”_ , the younger shouted scolding the elder. The latter threw his hands up in surrender.

“ _But!_ She didn't even get hurt! Brushed it off like nothing. Didn't even get upset! ...I think...”, Papyrus was quick to defend his actions and tried to defuse Sans with a relaxed smirk.

Sans’ eye sockets slimmed as he scolded, “you need to work on controlling that temper of yours brother! what if byul had seriously gotten injured!?”

Papyrus grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck bones and glanced to the side, “Ah...I know bro...I'm sorry. It's just hard y’know?” He really did feel bad about it, after all Byul had been nothing but helpful to him while he spoke to her. She had acted like all he had done was step on her toes.

_With the way she recovered afterwards, I might as well have..._

Papyrus pushed such thoughts behind him and looked back to Sans to see him looking still annoyed, but significantly less upset than before. His little brother sighed, “it's alright...but you'd better apologize to byul the next time you see her!”

Papyrus smiled reluctantly, “Alright alright. I pr-" “don't promise something unless you mean to keep it!”, Sans chided.

Papyrus again averted his gaze remembering what he had left the house with.

_“only talk, you promise?”_

_Papyrus sighed deeply, “Yeah bro...I promise...”_

He clicked his teeth together as he felt shame creep up on him. So much for _that_.

“I'm really sorry bro, but this time I mean it. I won't betray your trust again by making irresponsible promises. I swear on my name.”, Papyrus assured as he sat up to look Sans in the eye sockets.

Sans gave a half pout, half frown as he stared hard at his older brother. He looked more resolved than Sans had ever seen since...forever...

He sighed, his frown melting into an embarrassed smile. “i really can't stay mad at you can i...? alright alright! i'll believe you.”, he decided.

Papyrus smiled gratefully and reached out to pat the top of Sans’ skull, “Thanks bro. I'm glad.”

Sans shook his head and smiled, “are you hungry brother?"

Papyrus sighed shaking his head, “Sans, y’know you're really terrible at hiding secrets.”

Sans flinched in surprise and if Papyrus hadn't been so tired, he probably would've realized that Sans was a bit too anxious about his mentioning of this. Sans smiled nervously.

“wh-whatever do you mean brother?"

Papyrus stood up not moving his hand still atop Sans’ skull, “Next time you try to hide someone from me, try not to talk about them so much in front of me...excluding their name and gender doesn't really help hide them...”

Sans seemed to become less anxious at this but his cheekbones turned a light hue of blue in embarrassment nonetheless, “w-well...i suppose so...”

Papyrus chuckled and made his way over to the bundle of clothes still sitting by the TV, he picked them up and handed them to Sans. “Byul said that she was sorry for what she did to you. She also wanted to thank you for helping her...you did good bro...”, Papyrus said smirking at him.

Sans blinked before giving a wide grin as he put his fist to his chest, “mweh-heh-heh! but of course! nothing less could be expected from the mighty sans! mweh-heh!”

Papyrus chuckled faking a headache as he moved back towards the couch, “It's too late to be so loud bro.”

Sans stepped in his path, “no! if you're going to sleep, sleep in your room! i already cleaned the couch and i don't want your grease in the cushions again!”

Papyrus groaned and turned his head towards the steps, “ _All the way_ upstairs?”

Sans nodded sternly, “yes brother, all the way upstairs. you need to stop being so overly suspicious towards our stairs, you do know they're not always _up to something?_ ”

Papyrus stopped and shuddered as he glared down at his brother, his mouth twitched, trying to keep a neutral face on. 

“Sans, NO.”

“sans yes!”, the smaller replied chuckling softly.

Papyrus sighed deeply while trying to hide a smile, “If I go upstairs will you _please_ promise to never say that joke again?"

“hmm...”, Sans looked to the side before shrugging towards Papyrus, “can't make that promise, sorry papy!”

Papyrus decided to retreat upstairs before Sans started to bombard him with more puns, before a thought hit him.

Sans turned to go to the kitchen and clean before a Papyrus’ voice called, “Hey Sans?"

“Yes brother?"

“Do you know why Byul needed your help in the first place?”

Sans looked up to see Papyrus leaning over the wooden railing to look down at him, he appeared to be curious.

Sans thought back to that afternoon when Byul had come to him, she had appeared to be uncomfortable, and a little jittery. She had been coughing more than the last time he had seen her...

He inwardly frowned, he didn't want to disclose such information though. Maybe Byul didn't want people to know that she was feeling unwell, it was her business after all.

Sans looked up towards Papyrus again, “as i said, she said it would help her feel better...didn't really tell me why...”

A true statement, she hadn't explained much to him before he accepted, wanting to help. And then what she had done...

Oh no, that feeling was back again...He pushed it away as he brought himself back into the present. About a half-second had passed.

Sans felt as if he were in a spotlight with the way Papyrus was staring, like a hawk.

Papyrus was intelligent, Sans knew and it wasn't hard to tell. He was excellent at deduction and scientific theory, though how Papyrus had gotten so into science was beyond him. Papyrus was also an excellent seer of complete and utter bullshit, and that was _not_ a joke.

Lies were like chrome glass to him, he could tell if he were being lied to in one minute, couldn't exactly pinpoint the lie, but he knew it was there nonetheless.

So knowing all this and being watched like a hawk made Sans quite uncomfortable indeed.

“I guess I'll just ask her next time I run into her then.”, Papyrus commented turning away from Sans and disappearing behind his door.

Sans sighed in relief, “goodnight brother!"

There was a pause before a soft, “G’night bro...”, reached his ear holes from upstairs.

He giggled in amusement before gazing down at the bundle of his clothes that he still held, he lifted them to his face, and sniffed. He blinked, “cleaner?”

Had she really gone to someone else's home to use their washer? But if that was the case, how did she dry them so quickly?

Sans smiled softly in admiration before deciding, it didn't really matter. He knew Byul to be a good natured girl, no matter what she had done to him, he hadn't gotten hurt, and she had even gone out of her way to reassure him that he wouldn't be harmed.

She was kind and he knew that something was not right with her health, so it was then and there that Sans decided to help her get better in any way that he could.

-

A gasping cough echoed through the caverns of Waterfall. No one around to hear them, not even stragglers on their way back home. Whispers of echo flowers filled the room and were soon replaced by the recording of a creature’s heavy breath.

Byul floated into the wishing room and was immediately grounded at the sight of it, literally. Her feet hit the ground and her stocking covered legs met at the knees, feeling weak all of a sudden.

“Well this is...”, she swallowed the lump in her throat, “Quite the sight...” She felt small in this particular cavern, in multiple ways. 

She felt as if she should take a crystal from the ceiling to see if it would help sate her hunger...but something stopped her.

Not wanting to deface the beautiful place just yet, she began walking around in the blue illuminated room, dark yet light all at once, jumping in puddles, running her hand under falling water, listening to the echo flowers’ whispers of the past, and felt content there.

She fell asleep within an hour by a small rushing river.

-

“Hey.”

It was so dark in there.

“Yo...”

It was so eerily silent in there.

“Are you asleep?”

It was so dark in there...

“Did you die already?”

It was so very lonely in there...

“Byul!”

The sleeping girl awoke and immediately realized her legs were half submerged into the river she had fallen asleep next to. Her head was placed upon her big sleeves and she was lying on a riverbank, the slowly moving and seemingly luminescent water the only thing in sight.

Not really minding her legs being drenched, she moved them aimlessly through the water before tilting her head ever so slightly to the left to see a familiar monster peeking into her vision.

“What are you trying to do down there, turn into a mermaid or something?”, Papyrus asked with a chuckle in his voice.

Byul blinked and stared blankly for a moment, she gave a small humored smile before sitting up slowly, her gaze moving back to the water and her submerged legs.

“No...I'd rather not turn into a mermaid. After all, all they are is sea foam...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember what I said about my love for smut with plot? I should have said smut with realistic plot.
> 
> Yeah, this is going to take a while to actually turn into smut.
> 
> Although an ecto-dong already appeared in the first chapter! So that's something...?


	3. Dinner Dinner?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Byul tries to settle into a new sort of lifestyle in the Underground, Sans is having some trouble coping with these new sensations he's been exposed to. How's Papyrus taking all of this?

Papyrus stared down at Byul who was still sitting on the riverbank, legs submerged, but appearing to be quite comfortable. 

He found himself smirking at her words, “ _Grimm’s Fairy Tales_ , right?”

Byul turned her head up to him, and in response, Papyrus crouched down so her neck would be less strained by the action. “Grimm? Who is Grimm?”, Byul asked curiously.

The tall skeleton sighed and chuckled softly as he leaned over his knees so he could slump into a position he found to be comfortable, his arms dangled limply in between his legs as he explained. “Grimm isn't a person, at least, not really... That doesn't really matter anyways. But, what you said ‘bout mermaids being nothing but sea foam?”

Byul nodded in confirmation before Papyrus looked down to the river before continuing, “That came from the book _Grimm’s Fairy Tales_...There's an old copy of the book in one of my friend's house. She found it when she went dumpster diving a...a few years back actually...”

Byul tilted her head, “Undyne?”

Papyrus looked over surprised and confused, “Y-yeah how’d you-?” 

“Sans.”

“Ooooh, right...”

Byul shook her head and looked down at the river again, Papyrus noticed her shoulders were shaking slightly. He frowned, was she having a coughing fit again? Did the crystals not work?

The skeleton reached out to place his hand on Byul's sleeve, “H-hey...?”

Byul slowly looked to him, a small smile on her face. She couldn't hold it anymore, a light and bounding laugh emerged from Byul's lips. She hugged herself as she laughed, almost leaning forward too much and falling in the river.

Papyrus blinked, dumbfounded, before sighing and smirking in a tired manner. “Jeez, had me worried for no reason... What's so funny anyways?”

Byul moved one of her hands under her bangs, apparently to wipe her eyes because her fingers came back into sight slightly moist. She shook her head, “No, no! It's just that, Sans described you perfectly! You really are a bonehead!” Her laughing recessed into small giggles which were immediately muffled by an orange sleeve.

Papyrus had promptly covered her mouth with his hoodie sleeve with a groaning sigh, “And here I thought Sans’ terrible puns hadn't infected you!” Byul just kept giggling, falling onto her back, not caring that she was being muffled. Papyrus let her giggle for a short while.

“Byul.”

The giggling ceased before Byul tilted her head towards Papyrus giving a muffled, “Hmm?”

Papyrus looked down at her, before slowly removing his sleeve from her mouth, he tapped her bottom lip before moving his hand away completely. “You hungry?”, he asked the simple question with large implication as he stared.

Byul's mouth reverted to a neutral frown as she turned her head to the ceiling, she giggled.

Papyrus didn't know what that meant though. A giggle meant anything from Byul, and he knew that. She had giggled the day before when coming to terms almost immediately with the fact that she may die.

He became frustrated, “So...?”

Byul tilted her head away from him, a flash of white was seen. “If you buy me anything from Muffet’s...you're going to be wasting your money. I'm full...”, she stated softly before smiling.

Papyrus nodded and smiled as well, he let out a huge sigh. He groaned and smacked Byul's side, “What the fuck was up with the suspense!?”

Byul laughed again, light and bounding throughout the cavern. “Well I'm sorry! You make it too easy! You're so concerned about me, it's quite adorable!”, Byul proclaimed.

“Well why wouldn't I be?”

“Huh?”, Byul turned her head to Papyrus again. He didn't pout, sulk, become annoyed, or even get bothered by her teasing. He just got a cigarette out, proceeded to light it, and began smoking with a relaxed smile on his face. Byul blinked in surprise, “W-well...I'm just a stranger, one that hurt your brother! Why do you care about me so much?”

Papyrus shrugged taking the cigarette out from between his teeth and blowing out smoke into the air, “Well...I don't know if you noticed but Sans is...”

“Naive?”

“Overly-trusting is what I was going for actually... He believes that everyone, can be a good monster. Even if they’ve had a bad life and let that dictate their actions towards others, that they can still change for the better...I've always been fond of that view, I guess? Plus, I already said, Sans wasn't hurt, you haven't done me any wrong.”, Papyrus explained before placing the cigarette in between his teeth again.

Byul sat up, mouth slightly ajar in confusion. She began to shake her head in disbelief, “But I-I don't...I didn't...my life wasn't e-even that...n-not really, I-I don't think...I don't deserve th-.” 

“Byul.”

She turned to see Papyrus smiling softly at her, “Just...accept my MERCY, B...”

Byul stared at him from behind her bangs, dumbfounded. She smiled softly yet reluctantly, “That's a terrible nickname.”

Papyrus smirked, “Well, it's the one you're gonna get! If I can't call you kid, I'm calling you B.”

Byul giggled, “How long did you work on that one?”

The skeleton smirked, “A grand total of 6.3 seconds!”

They both laughed at this before Papyrus looked off to the side, he stood up. Byul looked up at him curiously, “Oh right, don't you have a job you should be getting to, lazybones?”

Papyrus shrugged looking back at her as he put his hands in his hoodie pouch to rest comfortably, “More like, should have been to two hours ago. I have to go before Sans finds out.”

Byul nodded before she floated out of the water and back onto the ground where she walked to Papyrus’ side, “I suppose you should. You'd be boned otherwise right?”

A loud groan was her answer as Papyrus squinted at her as if he were in pain, “Please don't.” Despite his apparent annoyance,a humored smile was clear on his face.

Byul smirked widely at this response, “Oh alright, I promise my next puns are going tibia whole lot more humerus.”

Papyrus groaned loudly and began walking away, “Bye!”

Byul only waved and turned away to look to the wishing room again.

“Oh shit, B!”, Papyrus called Byul's attention back to him.

Byul turned back to see him rubbing the back of his skull as he walked back over, “I almost forgot to apologize for yesterday. I was...really overreacting. I get riled up easily when it has to do with Sans, so...yeah... Sorry.”

Byul stared blankly, “ ‘Overreacting’? Really? I thought you were reacting pretty appropriately considering all the terrible things I was saying, they weren't even all true...”

Papyrus blinked in surprise becoming upset, “Wait seriously? What the fuck B!” He could have really hurt her for nothing!

Byul shrugged with a smile stretched too thin, “I don't know why I said those things, I barely did anything to Sans before he fainted...maybe I wanted you to attack me or something...” She sighed and looked to the ground, “I don't know Papyrus...”

Papyrus sighed, exasperated. Byul was a bit more complex than he had first thought. “You wanted to be attacked, because you felt guilty for what you did to Sans... You wanted punishment.”, Papyrus stated lowly feeling his anger melt away.

Byul shrugged once more, “Maybe, sounds about right...”

She looked away, “I know. I'm a nuisance and a pest, so I'll leave Sans alone and stay out of your lives. I'll just keep feeding off of the crystals in here and...heh, who knows? I might move in.” Byul smiled slightly as she clasped her hands behind her.

“Actually, I was going to ask you to come over our house for dinner tomorrow night.”, Papyrus corrected. 

Byul looked back, Papyrus at some point had put his other hand back into his hoodie pouch to join the other. He was looking at her expectantly. But Byul couldn't find the words to answer. Her mouth was still ajar from shock, her hands now drawn together almost meeting in front of her mouth, fingers twitching as if afraid that moving would change the words she had just heard for the worse. 

After a minute, she realized she had indeed heard the skeleton monster right, her mouth moved to form words, but none came out as if she had lost the ability to speak entirely. 

Her lips quivered for a moment before tears began falling down her face at a rapid rate.

Papyrus became flustered at this, “B-Byul...!?” He moved towards her to grip her shaking shoulders gently, “Hey...wh-what's the matter?"

Byul looked up at him and again tried to speak, but her tears wouldn't allow her to. “I...you...s-so...so k-kind... I, d-don't u-unders-stand! I...I... _I’m not w-worth-!_ ”, was all she managed to get out before her crying silenced her once more.

Papyrus chided himself for making her cry, but at the same time, he smiled softly as he patted the top of her head. “You are worth my time and you are definitely worthy of my kindness B... Alright? Everyone makes mistakes and feels like shit sometimes, but that doesn't make us any less worthy than anyone else... Now stop crying and say yes, I can't eat Sans’ spicy tacos all by myself you know... They go right through me.”

A bark of a laugh surfaced through Byul's tears and she smiled as she giggled, hiccuping every once in awhile. “Y-yes, I suppose they would...heh...”, she sniffed slightly before looking up at Papyrus, “I-I’ll be there...thank you...really Papyrus...”

He nodded with a small smirk, “No problem B...I’ll see you tomorrow? Seven thirty?”

Byul nodded, wiping away her tears from under her bangs with both hands. “I don't really have a watch, but I'll try!”, she admitted laughing a bit.

Papyrus shrugged and removed his hand from Byul's head, “Well as long as you don't show up at ten, it's alright.”

Byul nodded and this time, watched Papyrus leave silently. She frowned as she looked to the crystals in the walls and ceiling of the cavern, and smiled reluctantly.

“How long will these last me...?”, she wondered aloud.

-

Sans frowned as he stared down the container on the counter. He had gotten up extra early to make some tacos for Byul to eat, hoping a well prepared meal with lots of love would help her feel better.

Although when he checked the clearing in the forest Byul usually resided at, she was nowhere to be found all day.

He stopped frowning, when he realized, his frown would never turn into a pout. He had no lips to pout after all.

He turned to observe the empty living room behind him, “i wonder when papy is coming home...”

He felt his skull become hot as he realized why he was wondering that all of a sudden.

Sans wanted to touch himself again.

He'd already done it the day before, successfully bringing himself to the edge before Papyrus got back. He had even had time to clean the couch he had dirtied, and the entire living room.

He didn't know why he wanted to do these things so badly, he just wanted to feel those amazing sensations again. Byul had barely touched him and his head was already spinning. His hand had already unconsciously found his crotch, and was already stroking it curiously.

“Uhh, b-bro...?”

Sans froze up.

“Wha-what are you...doin’?”, Papyrus asked from the front door.

Sans turned his head, almost stuttering in the movement. Papyrus was staring, looking baffled, eye sockets open more than usual out of surprise. He looked expectant for an answer.

“ _Hhhhhhhhhhhhhh..._ ”, his rather airy response made Papyrus snicker and smirk.

He stepped further into the house and rubbed the back of his head, “You know, if you're gonna jack off Sans, you should probably do it in a more private area.” He snickered a bit more.

Sans blushed, embarrassed. He jolted his hand away from his crotch and hid it behind his back, “i-! i know that! i-i mean, i wasn't going to!” His voice raised at least seven octaves up from his usual deep voice, into a flustered squeak.

Papyrus began to laugh at him, “Woah, woah Sans! Calm down! It's alright.” He cleared his non-existent throat and made his way over to the kitchen where he leaned against the wall comfortably. “Sans, it's completely normal to start exploring yourself...y’know, sexually at this point in time for you...”, he started. Sans’ blush faded slightly and he relaxed a bit as he continued to listen.

“Usually monsters would do the whole “exploration” thing a bit earlier in their adulthood, but since you were concentrating on joining the royal guard, it makes sense on why you never did before... But, it's completely normal to want to discover yourself like that, healthy even.”, Papyrus admitted shrugging. 

Sans just listened intently, not really knowing what to say. His brother just nodded with a hint of a marmalade blush on his cheekbones, “Just...yeah, try keeping it isolated in your room alright?”

Sans blinked and nodded, “yeah...i understand. thank-you papy...but...” He stopped and then continued slowly as he realized, “that's the longest you've ever talked in a week... what happened?”

Papyrus smiled in an exhausted manner, “Nothing much bro. Just lazed around all day, tried to stay awake, failed miserably...”

Sans wasn't buying it, “ _and..._?”

“Invited B over for dinner tacos tomorrow?”, Papyrus stated as a question as he looked away aimlessly.

Sans went blank.

“wait...dinner...?”

The elder brother looked back, having expected an outburst in response. “Uh...yeah...?”

“like _dinner_ , dinner?”

“Dunno what other kinda dinner there is bro.”

“so like, a dinner **date**!?”

“Wat?”

Sans rushed over to Papyrus and gripped his wrists to pull him off the wall and began shaking him, “what were you thinking papy?! you're not anywhere near presentable to invite a lady over for a dinner date!”

Papyrus was already feeling dizzy with how quickly his head was being shaken back and forth, “It...s’not a date, S-Sanssss...ugh...” His bones were rattling. This was the outburst he'd been anticipating, but the reason for it, was much too unexpected to wrap his skull around.

Sans didn't seem to hear, “oh my stars, we need to clean the house, the oven, the sink, your room! -gasp- _your, **room**_! and a tux!”

“Sansssss!”, Papyrus groaned out lightheaded.

Sans looked up at his brother, “oh.” He let go of Papyrus’ wrists allowing the lightheaded and dizzy skeleton to lean back and slide down the wall behind him.

“It's...it's...not a date Sans...!”, Papyrus groaned out sounding nearly loopy.

Sans blinked, surprised. “oohhh...s-sorry papy...mweh-heh...”

Papyrus’ head lolled to one side as he tried to keep himself from puking, “You...can't sh-shake me around like that bro...n-not used to being moved around that quickly...”

Sans watched as his brother got out a cigarette from his pouch and stuck it in between his teeth, “where was she anyways?”

As the cigarette was lit with a small lighter, Papyrus looked up to Sans. “Hmm?”

“byul, where was she all day? i looked for her in the forest clearing near my sentry post, and she wasn't there. you didn't scare her out of snowdin did you?”, Sans asked.

“No, why would I have done that? Besides, why were you looking for her?”

Sans chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed. “well...it seems you and i had the same idea. i wanted to bring her my specialty tacos to help her feel better! ...you beat me to it though...”, he trailed off sounding slightly disappointed.

Papyrus froze up for a second before looking to the side, “Uhhh...right...sorry bro...”

Sans tilted his head as he watched his brother take the burning cigarette out of his mouth and hold his head with the same hand. He frowned and crouched down in front of him. “papy...you do know, you don't have to deny it... if you really want to have a dinner date with byul, you don't have to pretend. i can get out of the house, go hang out with alphys even!”

Papyrus visibly blushed and shook his head chuckling a bit, “No, no...it's...it's not that. I just, may have made, a major oversight in my invitation...I don't want to date B, Sans...” He shook his head tiredly before sticking the end of his cigarette back in between his teeth, “Hey, why don't _you_ ask her out? Since you're so insistent on the idea?”

Sans’ cheekbones turned blue as he blushed, “ _m-m-me_!? ...well i don't think i uh, could...well...of course...you know what? you're right!”

Papyrus blinked in shock a few times as his light orange bush faded, “Wait, seriously?”

Sans nodded and stood, his cheekbones were still tinged blue, but his eye lights remained as confident as ever. “why shouldn't i take byul on a date? she's intelligent, nice, reads the same books that i do, and i know her better than any monster in the underground! it'd be so neat!”

Papyrus smiled as he watched his little brother start swarming around the kitchen, listing off various compliments about Byul. Random, normally insignificant things that any other monster would ignore that Sans seemed to focus on with undivided attention.

Papyrus then thought, this was all happening a bit too quickly for him to keep up. It was kind of making him dizzy-oh no wait, he was still suffering from Sans’ nag attack from earlier.

He sighed wistfully as he stood, causing Sans to stop talking and look towards him. “oh? are you going to bed already?”, Sans asked looking slightly disappointed.

Papyrus nodded and moved out the kitchen and towards the cou-"grease.”, and towards the stairs to walk up to his room.

“wait, what about your dinner?”, Sans called from the kitchen.

“I'll get it later, you already made some right?”, Papyrus answered. 

Sans nodded and gave a sly smirk towards the container of tacos on the counter, “yep! and thanks to the cheese you bought last week, i believe they turned out pretty grate!”

Silence...

“Sans...”

“papy...?”

“No....just....no, god why Sans?”, he could almost sense the wince on his brother's face from there.

“because...yes...so much yes papy...”

Papyrus’ room door shut quietly, and Sans just chuckled to himself.

Papyrus sighed as he leaned up against his room door, “Well this is...something else.”

He made his way over to his bed, covered with old, tattered, and slightly fresh tank tops, mixed with an assortment of empty honey packages and bottles, a few frayed shoe strings could be seen as well. He stared down at the pile, and thought exceptionally hard about cleaning it up.

Not even ten minutes later, the tall skeleton was sprawled out on top of the pile, not even noticing the smell that was even at that moment, sticking to his bones and already dirty clothes he was wearing. His eyes were open, as they had been for the past few minutes.

He was worried. It was obvious to him that Byul wasn't a bad person...monster...thing...

Although, when it came to letting his younger brother pine after her, Papyrus just couldn't allow it to go on just like that.

He didn't know enough about Byul, and whatever Sans knew about her, he doubted that it was the full story. Byul had become defensive when Papyrus had asked about her past and species. Why?

He hadn't taken the time to check her LOVE when they first met, and seeing as doing so now would be rude, he wished he had.

What was so bad about Byul's specie that made her feel as if she needed to hide it? The worst thing to be in the Underground was human, and human, she was not. Her ability to float and physical durability spoke on her behalf in that topic. 

Papyrus closed his eyes, did she know that though?

He needed to ask Sans what Byul had told him during the first days he met her, he didn't want to pry, but he didn't want to let his brother get involved with someone who could be bad for him. The lesser of two evils appealed to him at that moment.

Ask Sans some questions? Easy. Get the answers without a lie? Well...Sans was good at hiding things, but Papyrus, was excellent at prying inconspicuously. So; Easy. He snuffed out his cigarette on the wall next to him.

-

Byul sighed as she sat by the edge of the glowing river, having barely moved since Papyrus left. Not to say that she was bored, it was just so quiet. Every now and then, she’d hear some monsters a bit of ways away, talking, laughing. She’d hear footfalls, both heavy and light, fast and calm. She would always become a bit anxious at the thought of another monster seeing her, almost ducking into a nearby patch of wild grass every time she even thought she wasn’t alone.

All in all, she decided she really liked Waterfall, but nothing there could beat the low to nonexistent amount of traffic present in Snowdin.

Looking around for probably the hundredth time that day, Byul decided to finally do what she had been wanting to do for the longest time now. She peered over into the water, observing how her bangs covered her eyes almost too perfectly. No matter which way she turned her head, she would only catch glimpses of her own eyes, although she could see perfectly fine. With a curious tilt of her head she concluded, it was almost as if her own bangs were invisible only to her, but she still couldn't see her own eyes. She moved a hand to hesitantly move her bangs to the side.

“You’re B-Byul...I presume?”

Byul’s breath hitched as she froze, suddenly feeling cold and refusing to move. She didn’t know this voice, how did they know her name? Her hands clenched, bangs falling back into place like a curtain.

“I hate to uh...s-sneak up on you l-like this b-but...we need to talk...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I am indeed aware that there is an Underswap headcanon that the skeleton brothers are twins, instead of Papyrus being older than Sans like I've stated in this story....It's a fan fiction, creative freedom...
> 
> Otherwise, there is actually a reason I changed that detail. What's the reason?
> 
> There's a method to my madness dear readers, and said method will be explained in...what, 20 chapters maybe? X)
> 
> Also, the reason this story isn't bombarded with tags, is because I believe too many tags will spoil a lot of the story. Which is why there are only warning tags and not tags that give away too much content. If you guys think I should add more tags, comment down below! 
> 
> Thank-you!


	4. Straggler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus decides to ask how exactly Sans and Byul met. He gets told to help with chores...and some other stuff. He’s less than thrilled.

The next few hours in the skeleton brother's house were spent in a familiar and comfortable quiet. Sans spending his time doing laundry downstairs, and Papyrus sleeping soundly upstairs.

 

Sans hummed an upbeat tune as he waited diligently in front of the constantly shaking washing machine, he wasn't bored at all, just biding his time going over things in his head.

 

His battle techniques, his next training session with Alphys, what tacos he should make for tomorrow night, Byul's visit, Papyrus’ constant uncleanliness, if he should ask Byul out or not...

 

Sans stopped humming as he came across a certain thought, “i wonder if i should ask alphys’ opinion? although she hasn't asked her crush out yet either...and actually...” He looked up towards the ceiling in thought, “do i even have a crush on byul?”

 

“Depends on your type I'd think.”

 

Sans yelped and whirled around to see Papyrus leaning into the room by the door frame, gripping it with one hand, successfully keeping his arm in the kitchen behind him.

 

Sans exhaled sharply, “how do you do that!”

 

“Do what?”

 

“ _that_!”

 

“Wat?”

 

“stop saying ‘what’ like that!”

 

“Sorry mum...”

 

Sans sighed tiredly and was finally able to relax from his previously startled state, “i know you can get places immediately with your magic, i just wish you would teach me how to do the same!”

 

Papyrus let go of the door frame and stepped inside the room fully, “I don't think it's the ability for you bro. Who knows, maybe it'll make you lazy.”

 

Sans drew his hand to his chest, visibly appalled at the thought, “the mighty sans would never!”

 

The tall skeleton shrugged, “Well there you go.”

 

Sans peered behind his older brother to look into the kitchen, “did you eat yet?”

 

“Yep...and....you haven't answered me.”

 

Sans felt his eye socket twitch in confusion, “you, didn't ask me anything...”

 

Papyrus blinked in slight surprise and confusion, “I didn't? That's weird, I was sure I did.”

 

Sans shook his head, “no questions received on this end brother.”

 

The elder brother shrugged, “Well what I wanted to ask is; why would you have a crush on B? Like...you never really told me about what went on between you two when you first met.”

 

Sans blinked in surprise, “i-i didn't?” He looked down, and Papyrus could see the inner turmoil going on inside his little brother's head, what he should hide, what he should tell. He was deciding.

 

Papyrus tilted his head and sighed, “If she told you some embarrassing stories or something, I'm sure I'll hear about them later directly from her. So you don't have to tell me everything, bro.”

 

Sans looked up at his brother, “well...a few weeks ago, maybe four or five...i was on my patrol as usual when i heard something strange. something cracking, i think?”

 

Papyrus came closer, leaning against the wall next to Sans in the small room to get comfortable.

 

Sans glanced to the floor, and then back to his brother. “i was on the other side of the gate, so i unlocked it and headed towards the ruins door...”

 

_It was foggy on the path to the Ruins door as Sans made his way down the path, having fog was not a strange occurrence in Snowdin, just a rare one._

 

_Perplexed, Sans stopped a few feet away from the Ruins door, and looked around, into the trees on both sides of him._

 

_“hello?”, Sans called out curiously. He had definitely heard something; a cracking noise, and Snowdin tree branches only broke if they were hit hard enough. Someone had to be over here._

 

_“are you in need of-?" a quiet gasping made itself known for a moment before quieting down again. Sans turned his head to direction of the noise. He blinked as he looked closer into the blurred white of the fog, the anticipation was killing him, but he had to calm himself as he thought logically about the situation._

 

_‘get it together sans! this monster sounds scared, i need to calm them down.’_

 

_“are you in need of assistance? i, the mighty sans will help you in any way i can!”, staying rooted in his spot he tried catching a glimpse of anything that didn't look inanimate in the trees. Which was hard to determine when visibility was so low that Sans couldn't tell if he was wearing the right boots today, bright blue and not gray. And gray was all he could see now._

 

_Had the fog become thicker? It must have, it wasn't this hard to see before._

 

_Sans waited for a moment before taking a step forward and then listening, a small gasp again, came from somewhere in front of him._

 

_He smiled softly although he doubted whoever was there could see, “are you hurt...? i'm a snowdin sentry, future royal guardsmen sans. it's a part of my duty to protect the monsters of the underground, you don't need to be afraid of me...”_

 

_Sans waited and then took another step, “you don't need to come out, i just want to make sure that you're alright... hey, what about this? let's play a game, and i won't come any closer. then you won't be scared!”_

 

_Sans waited and then, “...What game...?” Soft and wary, a voice answered from the trees._

 

_Sans smiled victorious at last, “23 queries!” He sat down in the snow, making sure to keep his promise and stay right in that spot. “here, i’ll go first!”_

 

_“I want to go first.”, the voice interjected unexpectedly._

 

_Sans nodded not really caring who went first, they were getting comfortable, that's all that mattered. “go ahead.”_

 

_“...W...Where am I?”_

 

_Sans blinked in surprise, “snowdin forest! you don't know where you are?”_

 

_“No... Where is Snowdin Forest...located?”_

 

_Sans frowned thoughtfully, “in the underground. are you about to ask what the underground is?”_

 

_Silence for a moment was the only answer and then begrudgingly, “Yes... Explain please?”_

 

_Sans nodded, “the underground is the land in which all of monsterkind reside. we are trapped down here by a barrier the humans above ground created after the war, many, many years ago. monsterkind is now ruled over by our queen, toriel in the capital and now, we are all waiting for one more human to fall down to us so queen toriel can break the barrier and we can all be free.... do you understand?”_

 

_“Yes... Uh...what other...places are there besides Snowdin and the Capital?”_

 

_Sans blinked in surprise, they certainly did comprehend things well didn't they? “the ruins which are behind the sealed doors behind me, waterfall past snowdin, and hotland right before the capital and after waterfall. where are you from?”_

 

_There really was silence this time, Sans frowned worriedly. “it's your turn to answer, are you alright?”_

 

_“I...I don't know where I'm from...”, a whisper answered._

 

_Sans nearly stood up and ran over to where he was sure the voice was coming from and give them a hug, but he had to restrain his instincts for now. They had barely wanted to talk with him before, so what would happen if he broke his promise?_

 

_“ask me a question. or else we'll be stuck.”_

 

_“Ah...umm... Where are you from?”, a sniffle followed this question._

 

_Sans frowned, he had to steer this towards happier things. “snowdin, it's a town not too far from here. would you like to come over some time?”_

 

_“Ah...I uh...think I'll stick out, I'll pass. But thank you... Uh...are humans...bad?”, she sounded more wary now._

 

_It hit Sans as he opened his mouth to answer, what if this was a human he had been talking to the entire time? The wariness, the fear, the ignorance of the current living situation of a whole species, it would explain a lot._

 

_Although, “ah well...no...no, humans aren't all bad. they can't be, that's too preposterous to even imagine! a whole species being only bad? even children? i don't believe so... although, the captain of the royal guard, the queen, and many monsters would probably not think the same way... do you know who would agree with me?”_

 

_A hesitant response, “No...who?”_

 

_“papyrus, my older brother! he's a big lazybones and really messy, but he's really kind and reliable! if i were to take a human to our house right now and explain the situation to him, i doubt he would turn them away... now...i really want you to understand what i'm implying with this next question based on what i just said... are you a human?”_

 

_“I...don't know... What would you do if I were one?”_

 

_“help you. you haven't done anything to warrant capture yet, and if you aren't a human, i do not want to turn you in for no good reason. will you allow me to help you regardless?”_

 

_“Possibly... What would you do?”_

 

_“i would have to look at your soul. are you willing to come out?”_

 

_“...Possibly... What if your brother will wish to turn me in if I'm human?”_

 

_“then i’d take you away somewhere safe with me where no one will find you... do you trust me?”_

 

_“...You're quite the romantic...”_

 

_Sans blushed in surprise and smiled widely. “i suppose i am! you haven't answered me though.”_

 

_“Yes.”, a rustling and shadow moving into view made Sans look up..._

 

“and that's how we met. a game of 23 queries...”, Sans trailed off. “i don't know much about being attracted to someone's...body, face...it's just, her personality...she's just so...gentle?”

 

Papyrus blinked slowly, “Hmm...I get it...” He smirked slyly, “My little bro is crushin’ pretty hard here!”

 

Sans blushed and opened his mouth to retaliate, but then nodded. His hands shot to his skull to grip it, “how am i supposed to do this papy! i can't ask byul out! how am i supposed to ask at all?”

 

Papyrus stood up off the wall smirking, “Calm down, for the Mighty Sans, this should be no big deal right?”

 

Sans shrugged seeming unsure, “i-i mean, i suppose but-!”

 

“Sans Aster, are you doubting yourself? Is this real, am I hearing doubt right now?”, Papyrus smirked pleasantly surprised at this.

 

Sans blushed an even darker shade of blue, “no w-way! i would never!”

 

“Then there's no reason to worry bro. You believe in yourself you'll be fine.”, the taller skeleton concluded with a wink.

 

Sans blinked in surprise and then grinned, “you're right papy! as long as i believe in myself i can't possibly go wrong!”

 

Papyrus chuckled, “Gotta remember though bro, if she's not interested, she's not interested. Don't let it get to you if she...doesn't say yes alright?”

 

Sans shook his head blush fading again, “of course not papy! if the mighty sans fails, byul and i will simply continue being friends as always! mweh-heh-heh!” As the washing cycle ceased, Sans turned to open the washing machine and start taking clothes out, placing them into a basket on the floor.

 

Papyrus watched him do this for a few seconds before reaching into his hoodie to grab his honey bottle and began drinking from it. He sighed as he decided to leave well enough alone and just let his brother be an adult for once, he could make his own decisions, and it wasn't like the two were getting married. It was one date, what could it hurt?

 

“brother?”, Sans asked bringing Papyrus’ mind back to the present.

 

Papyrus looked over to see Sans facing him with his hands resting on the washing machine behind him, looking to the floor appearing to be deep in thought. He frowned, “Yeah bro?”

 

“byul...”, Sans started quietly before looking up to meet Papyrus’ eye sockets, “she's not human...but...”

 

“She's not a monster either. I know. I saw her soul remember?”, Papyrus asked regarding his honey curious to see how much was left.

 

Sans nodded, “i remember. you slammed her against the trees...” Papyrus winced at the mention of this and Sans frowned, “sorry brother. i know you didn't...” He trailed off, uncertain of what to say.

 

Papyrus just sighed and shrugged, “Nah bro, it's alright. I need to think a little more before I act... Anyways...why are you just now bringing that up?”

 

Sans sighed as he looked to the side, “she's um...sick... i didn't want to tell you because, how would she feel knowing that i'm spreading around her personal business like it was my own?”

 

Papyrus smirked softly and shook his head coming further into the room, “Bro, it's not like you're out in town screaming it to everyone through a megaphone. You've only told me right?” His little brother nodded curtly. “Then you're not ‘spreading her business’. You only told me ‘cause you're concerned right?” Another small nod. Papyrus shrugged as he made his way over to him, “Then ya’ got nothing to worry about.”

 

Sans cried out when Papyrus suddenly pulled him into a noogie, laughing as he felt his skull being trapped as his brother ground his fist on the top of it. “papy no! mweh-he-hahaha! papy you smell, let go and take a shower! nooooo!”, he cried out through his laughs. His nasal opening was now extremely up close and personal with his brother's hoodie, which he was sure hadn't been washed in over a week. Papyrus just laughed softly, eventually letting go of his little brother before laying down on the tiled floor, suddenly very tired again.

 

Out of breath from his laughing and yelling, Sans stood huffing as he stood over his brother. “give me that hoodie brother, it smells horrendous!”

 

“Too tired.”

 

“you just woke up!”

 

“Tired again.”

 

“i'm washing clothes tonight and i'm not letting that hoodie go another day without being cleaned! wear one of your other hoodies!”

 

“They’re worse.”

 

Sans blinked and narrowed his eye sockets in a scolding manner before turning to leave, “i sincerely doubt that brother.”

 

Rushing upstairs, Sans stopped outside his brother's room, dreading what he would find inside. Slowly turning the doorknob, he threw open the door.

 

His patellas felt weak as he nearly fainted, “brother what is this?!” Papyrus had been right on the intensity of the smell, the whole room smelled of sweat, cigarettes, and expired sweets long forgotten on the floor.

 

Sans took a breath and let it out, then took another breath and then let it out. He stepped into the room.

 

 _one problem at a time,_ Sans reminded himself.

 

It was laundry day, he was there for clothes and nothing else. Well, he did step into the room, but “stepped” was a subjective term for this situation.

 

It looked more like hopping from one comparatively clean pocket of floor to another, before he finally reached the bundle of clothing on his brother's bed and picked it up. Fleeing the room in the same manner and hastily closing the door behind him, he finally allowed himself to breathe free clean air, vowing to only return to that room with a flamethrower in hand.

 

Sans huffed in an irritated manner as he nearly bounded down the stairs, bundle of dirty clothes in tow. He was ready to go on a nagging spree and he hoped his brother was ready. “papyrus!”, he said as loudly as always his voice traveling through the whole house. He quickly made his way into the laundry room, ready to start proclaiming on how appalling the state of his brother’s room was, but whatever he was ready to say died as he looked around the room. “papy?”

 

His brother was nowhere to be seen. Sans then concluded as he gave a wide grin to no one in particular, “papy, did you seriously run away from me? you can’t escape the mighty sans!”

 

No answer, as he expected, but Sans refused to fall for this. He placed the bundle of clothing in a different basket from the one the already washed clothes filled, and observed everything in the room.

 

Despite Papyrus’ far superior height, he was a stick of a monster. Not like actual stick monsters that Sans had seen in the Capital a few times, just, alike to them. Meaning, his brother could fit into a lot of thin spaces.

 

He couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, except...

 

Sans ran over to the washing machine and threw the top open, he laughed. “found you brother! see? you cannot outsmart the mighty sans!”, he proclaimed loudly.

 

Papyrus, in the time that Sans had gone upstairs and returned, had somehow managed to fit all the way into the bottom of the washing machine, and lay there. He however, didn't respond as he was found. His breathing was slow and steady.

 

Sans pouted, “you seriously fell asleep in the one machine i need to wash your clothes...? brother you are such a lazybones!”

 

He huffed with a sigh and a small smile, and decided to close the top of the washing machine. He picked up the basket of clothes that still needed to be dried, and made his way over to the dryer.

 

-

 

The next morning Papyrus awoke slowly from his curled up position, groaning softly as his bones creaked from the prominent strain his sleep had put on them. He opened an eye socket to confirm what he had already guessed by this point, he had fallen asleep in the washing machine. It was not surprising to him, but for some reason he felt like he hadn’t intended to do so. As he began to sluggishly unfurl his body, he tried to remember why he had fallen asleep there.

 

In his younger years when he really needed some time alone, Papyrus would hide in such miscellaneous locations such as the washing machine, and doze off. It was easier then, but he could still do it without much exertion, which was the only reason he still did. Had he been looking for a bit of quiet last night?

 

He shook his head as he opened the top of the washing machine, that didn’t seem right. Papyrus’ mind was still foggy as he pulled his way out onto the floor of the laundry room to lay there, face on the floor, and one of his feet still hanging limp in the open machine behind him.

 

He turned his head to the side to stare at nothing, he remembered Sans telling him something, and getting a little upset about it. No, not a little upset...very upset, but not at Sans.

 

Byul...no not her either.

 

Papyrus then groaned in annoyance, clenching his eyes shut as he remembered, he was upset at himself.

  


_“Where are you from? What are you?”_

 

_Byul frowned, seeming bothered by that question._

  


How had he not caught on to the fact that Byul couldn't remember anything about herself?

  


_“So...this hunger...how often do you have it? How often do you need to...eat I guess?”_   
_  
_ “I'm not sure, I have not been down here very long, so I do not know for certain...”

  


During their first meeting, she came off as defensive and paranoid to him, trying to protect her secrets.

  


_“As long as you understand, it’s rude to be that nosy. If it has to do with Sans, I have no problem answering. My past has nothing to do with this.” She sighed muttering under her breath..._

  


While in all actuality, she was only trying to protect one secret; the fact that she didn't have any others.

  


_“I'm not a child.”_

 

_“Well, obviously...but younger than me?”_

 

_“Doubt it...”, a small smirk was directed towards him, “But it is possible...”_

  


She didn't remember who or what she was, or how she came to be in the Underground.

  


_“I seem to remember eating stars as well to fill myself."_

  


Byul had amnesia, and all the evidence had gone right over Papyrus’ head. That annoyed him more than anything.

 

His thoughts brushed past the idea that he should be upset with Byul, rather than himself for lying in the first place. But really, he couldn’t bring himself to be upset at her, and all because of...

 

_“Then my life will be forfeit...I know.”_

 

He nearly growled as he yanked his foot free from the washing machine and sat up. He took a shuddering breath as he pulled his heavy hood over his skull, why did she have say so many upsetting things? Did she still not care whether she lived or died? Was she unaware of how much this was affecting him?

 

A soft creak from the living room brought Papyrus back to the present to notice, his breathing had quickened despite him trying to stay calm. He exhaled sharply and let out a humorless chuckle as he muttered, “Dammit...why do I have to care so much...?”

 

“Too big of a heart” is what he remembered someone telling him long ago, if he had too big of a heart, he’d only get hurt in the end. Yet Papyrus remembered only accepting this advice, believing it, all the while never intending to change in spite of it.

 

_“I'm just a stranger, one that hurt your brother! Why do you care about me so much?”_

 

“I don’t know...”

 

Papyrus slowly stood pushing his hood down, as he found he had managed to calm himself. He truly didn’t know.

 

Papyrus jumped as the door to the laundry room slammed open, hitting the wall it was hinged to. He turned to see his brother, standing with a plastic bag hanging from his elbow, and a pointed expression on his face. Papyrus felt as if he shouldn’t speak, like he was in trouble. So he didn’t and waited for Sans to say something.

 

The shorter skeleton silently marched forward and held out the bag that now was being held by his hand. “change into this!”, he ordered a bit more loudly than usual.

 

Papyrus cautiously reached down to accept the bag and Sans dropped it into his hands. “Uh, thanks...?”

 

Sans’s pointed expression then melted away as if it had never been there, and he smiled. “put your clothes and the ones in the basket in the wash when you finish!”

 

Before Papyrus could form a response, his little brother was out the door to give him privacy, and most likely to do some other chores before heading out to his sentry station. Papyrus blinked slowly before opening up the bag to look inside. He was surprised to find a marmalade hoodie inside. It was a slightly darker shade of orange compared to his other hoodies, as he pulled it out, he noticed the sleeves and pouch of the hoodie were dark brown. Papyrus blinked and smiled to himself.

 

“Nyeh-heh...thanks bro.”, he chuckled softly.

 

\--

 

Half-an-hour later, Papyrus emerged from the house, Sans had already left and Papyrus had actually done what his brother had asked of him. He had even turned the wash on after putting his clothes in the washing machine. Had he remembered to put in detergent?

 

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. He didn’t dwell on it for long.

 

Leaving this thought behind, he left to head over to his station, pulling a cigarette out of his pants pocket and lighting it.

 

He allowed his thoughts to wander off as he walked past the shed that Sans used as a temporary holding cell, just in case a human were to come. He was glad his little bro found some use for the thing, there wasn’t much they could put in there. No use for gardening tools in Snowdin, and he was sure his toolbox was somewhere in his room. So, a holding cell would have to do.

 

He sighed as he then remembered, Byul. He frowned, he’d have to confront her about her memories later. Right now he was tired, and a little quiet sounded like perfect company for the moment.

 

His phone rang.

 

But of course, he wouldn’t get that company. Papyrus stopped to lean against a tree and fish his phone out of another pocket to look at it, he let a small smile appear as he saw the caller. It had been a while since he had spoken to his friend, it would be nice to hear her voice.

 

“Yo!”, he answered as he pressed the call button.

 

“H-hey Pap!”, Undyne responded.

 

“What’s up? You don’t usually call this early.”

 

“W-w-well! You see I, uh...”

 

Papyrus let his smile turn amused, “Did something blow up again?”

 

“No, n-no! I mean... Not yet at least? Heh...”, Undyne trailed off with a nervous laugh.

 

“Then what?”

 

“I uh...I found Byul!”

 

Papyrus balked sputtering a bit, “Y-you found Byul? You-. How do you even-?”

 

“I met her I mean! Met and found her.”, Undyne clarified. Papyrus just shook his head.

 

“How did you find out about her?”, he asked in a hushed tone trying to calm down from the shock.

 

“I kinda broke her cameras, apparently?”, Byul’s voice came into the background of the phone call.

 

“B? Are you okay?”, Papyrus asked nervously standing up off of the tree he’d been leaning on. It wasn’t like he believed that Undyne would harm the girl, but this was all very strange and unexpected.

 

“I’m fine Paps.”, Byul’s faint voice answered from the background again.

 

Undyne used the silence to began explaining again, “A-a-according to the feed on my cameras in Snowdin, when Byul...a-a-arrived here, her energy - o-or the energy of whatever brought her here - fried the nearby camera’s circuitry!”

 

“Essentially, I messed up all of the cameras in Snowdin at once... Sorry again about that.”, Byul added on in the background once again.

 

Papyrus sighed, “ ‘Dyne, put your phone on speaker.”

 

“O-oh! Right right, on it!”, Undyne responded. After a moment of silence she spoke again, “Okay, sp-speaker is on!”

 

Papyrus plopped down in the snow with a sigh, “Okay, before we talk about anything else. Does anyone else know about Byul? Alphys, Napstabot?”

 

“N-no! No no no, I-I d-didn’t tell anyone about her! With her...a-appearing to be h-h-human at first glance. I-I knew I c-couldn’t risk it!”, Undyne explained as shuffling of paper was heard.

 

Papyrus nodded letting that thought leave him, but now he was wondering if something was wrong. “Did something else bad happen?” Byul was fine, Undyne’s cameras were broken, no one knew about Byul, so why was he called?

 

“No, we just wanted to let you know. Keep you in the loop.”, Byul spoke up this time. Papyrus rolled his practically invisible eyelights in response to this. “Aaaannd...”, the girl continued sounding hesitant to continue.

 

“And what?”

 

“Ask you for a tiny favor?”, she finished.

 

Papyrus groaned, “Will this favor require anymore than minimum effort to be put in?”

 

“W-we need you to uh...e-escort Byul to the l-l-lab every morning?”, Undyne asked nervously as the paper rustling stopped.

 

Papyrus shot up from his seated position, standing and glaring at his phone. “All the way to Waterfall?! Why!”

 

“Paps, m-m-my cameras are b-broken and I h-have enough to do here by m-m-myself!”, Undyne tried to explain.

  


Byul sighed, “I’m going to help Undyne with her work to help repay her for the damage I did to her cameras.”

  


The skeleton monster clicked his teeth, “Okay then, can Sans do this instead...?”

  


Only silence came from the phone. “Guys, is there a problem with Sans doing it?”, he asked again.

  


“I...don’t think Sans would like what I’m helping Undyne with...”, Byul answered lowly. “She’s working on solutions to problems the underground has, including the biggest one, the barrier...”, she trailed off.

  


Papyrus stilled, “Undyne thinks...experimenting on you will help break the barrier?”

  


“St-studying! I-I won’t b-b-be experimenting on h-her!”, Undyne corrected. “P-Paps, Byul is pr-probably the most intricate, p-p-powerful being I’ll e-ever have the opportunity to m-meet and work with! Th-the readings my cameras picked up when she appeared!  B-before they broke of c-course. You need to s-see why I want to do this!”

 

Papyrus sighed rubbing the rim of his eye socket with his free hand, “And Byul, you’re okay with this?”

 

“Yes.”, she answered with no hesitation. He sighed deeply and Undyne took the silence to suggest an idea.

 

“Paps, j-just come by for t-t-today okay? J-j-just to look at the readings?” Papyrus let his head roll back in annoyance.

 

“Okay! Okay okay okay, fine. I’ll come by later. Need to finish my job first at least... And if the results are nothing special - no offense B - then no deal.”, he said sternly.

 

“Yay! I-I-I mean, th-thanks Paps! I-I promise, th-this really is s-s-something!”, Undyne assured him.

 

Papyrus stared at the cave ceiling above him before straightening his head up, “I’ll be there at around 6. But for now, ‘Dyne take the phone off speaker and give it to Byul would’ya?”

 

Undyne fumbled with the phone for a few seconds, “O-o-oh yes, of course!”

 

There was a moment of silence before Byul spoke, “Speaker is off... I know, I’m sorry I was found. I tried to stay hidden, I really did.”

 

The skeleton monster shook his head, “Waterfall in Undyne’s home, she knows all the hiding places there are there. You couldn’t help it.”

 

Byul gave a sigh, sounding relieved. “Okay then, do you have another bone to pick with me?”, he could hear the smile in her voice.

 

However it did nothing to make him less upset with her. Yes he was mostly mad at himself for not realizing sooner, but it had been Byul’s decision to hide the truth from him in the first place.

 

He gave short exhale promptly deciding to ignore her pun, “What you said about keeping me in the loop? B, you are doing a piss poor job at this point.” His voice quieted into a harsh whisper as he continued, “You don’t know _anything_ B! _Nothing_ about yourself besides your name and what you eat! Hell is Byul even your real name!”

 

There was silence. For a minute that was all there was until Papyrus heard something, something awful. Byul’s voice was hitching softly between quiet sobs. Shit.

 

No no no, he hadn’t meant to make her cry! He opened his mouth to apologize but Byul beat him to it. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry Paps.”,  she muttered while trying to breathe evenly to calm herself, “I...I promise, I’ll tell you everything when you get here okay? _Everything_ everything... I-I just, just...sorry!”

 

Papyrus felt his chest and skull burn in shame, she shouldn’t have to apologize so much. “B-Byul I-”, the call was ended before he could continue.

 

The skeleton monster groaned in frustration, closing his hand around his phone and smacking the top of it against his forehead a few times, thinking _‘stupid! stupid! stupid!’_ while doing so. He angrily shoved the phone into his pouch and took a cigarette out to smoke.

 

He _really_ needed to work on his temper...

 

-

 

Undyne nervously peeked around the corner of the lower floor lab to check on Byul. After her private conversation she had tossed the scientist her phone and nearly - and literally - flew down here without a word. From what Undyne had seen of her face in the moment, she looked upset her mouth tightened in a frown like she was trying not to cry.

 

Now looking at the girl floating in front of the aquarium wall opposite her personal work area and bedroom, Undyne was glad to note that she looked calmer. Though she really did wonder how the girl saw anything through her bangs and envied how the curtain of thick hair didn’t seem to make her bump into anything or trip over things. Though for a creature that could float, tripping should be impossible, Undyne figured.

 

The scientist always had to bundle her mass of hair into a messy bun above her head, and due to the varied length of the red locks, strands would without fail find a way to fall in front of her face no matter how tightly the bun was tied. Yes, Undyne decided, she was indeed jealous of Byul and her lack of this problem.

 

Though there was a lot of things that made Undyne look at Byul with wonder and sparked that innate hunger for knowledge her scientist brought out in her. Astounding power levels aside, just watching her float there was mind boggling. She didn’t stay still as she floated, her body bobbed slowly, each limb that wasn’t touching anything bobbed with the rest of her, which was the only thing that made scientific sense about it. Undyne thought it alike to Byul being in a personal tank filled with water that she just commanded to follow her. Undyne grinned dumbly, excited stupid at the thought of testing her--and was something burning?

 

She sniffed the air and screamed running up the escalator that went to the first floor, “No, my ramen!”

 

Byul jumped in surprise as she heard the screaming looking to her left just in time to see a blue, red, and white blur retreat. For a moment she listened to hear if anything had gone wrong, but she relaxed when she heard Undyne groaning in a defeated manner and the rushing of water. Byul had noticed Undyne watching her, but decided not to call her out, and she was beyond glad the scientist had ended up leaving.

 

Right now, Byul wanted to be alone.

 

Staring at the gigantic wall of glass peering into what seemed like a whole ocean of pure blue was...surprisingly very calming. Just staring into the blue with the occasional monster swimming by, no background noises,- save for the scientist lamenting over their ruined lunch upstairs - and no real distractions. Byul could feel herself becoming peaceful. With an expression of wonder on her face she let herself relax and her feet touched the cold floor. Soon after she was sitting down, her hand holding one another in front of her legs, staring into the blue.

 

After ten minutes spent salvaging what she could of her ramen not burnt to the bottom of the pot she’d been using, Undyne went back downstairs with a bowl half-full of ramen, chewing on a small noddle that hung out the side of her mouth pitifully. She whined in her throat before remembering Byul. She looked over to see the girl sat on the floor in front of the wall aquarium, her head slightly tilted to the side. Undyne became instantly aware of how quiet the lab was, and looking into the water in this room was pretty calming. No wonder she’d fallen asleep.

 

Undyne tiptoed over to her desk to set down her ramen and pull out a fluffy blanket she kept in one of the bigger drawers in case of cold all nighters. With utmost care into not making a sound, she turned and made her way over to Byul’s side and unfolded the blanket.

 

“Why do you have this here?”, Undyne nearly jumped out of her scales as Byul spoke softly. The only reason she hadn’t screamed was, well her chest had clenched so hard from the scare, so she couldn’t have if she wanted to. The scientist took a few seconds to compose herself before dropping the half unfolded blanket on top of Byul’s head, the girl just giggled and pulled it off to look at it.

 

“D-d-don’t do that! You s-sc-scared the life out of me!”, Undyne scolded weakly.

 

Realizing she was holding a blanket in her hands, Byul unfolded it the rest of the way and wrapped it around her. “You scared me.”, she reasoned nonchalantly.

 

Undyne opened her mouth to question what she meant before remembering their first meeting, she _had_ come up behind the girl and Byul seemed to freeze up when she spoke. So effectively Undyne had scared her before. She grinned embarrassed, “O-oh right. S-s-sorry about that!”

 

Byul shook her head, “It’s fine. So? Why do you have this?”

 

Undyne shrugged looking at the expanse of blue herself, “W-w-well, why do you like looking at it?”

 

Byul blinked at this glancing up at the grinning fish monster, “Hm.” She then looked back to the glass wall with a soft smile, “I suppose that answers my question.”

 

With that the two women stared into the blue together in a serene silence. About seven minutes later Undyne began scooting away, remembering her ramen with a wince. It would be lukewarm by now. “U-u-uh...you sh-should get some r-r-rest! Paps will be here in a f-f-f-few hours and I d-doubt we’ll get any rest when he sees y-your uh d-data!”

 

Byul nodded without looking away and huddled into the blanket wrapped around her, finding it easy to lose her mind in the calm. She really wasn’t looking forward to the conversation she knew she’d be having with Papyrus later, but she owed him the truth. Without another thought she allowed sleep to take her, not wanting to think anymore at all really.

 

A voice called out to her in the darkness.

 

_“Are you sure you want to do this?”_

 

_“I do, I’m tired of this.”_

 

_“You know that I won’t be able to help you once you do this to yourself, right?”_

 

_“I know. I don’t want you to...now leave me.”_

 

_“I won’t be able to see you again.”_

 

_“Leave me V̷̨̛͙̮̟̦̻̻̳̺͍̩͖͎̂̂̎͗̋̾̍ͅe̵̢̼̯̯̬̮̼̘̙͖̙̗͓͓̝͇̠̤̤̘̖̩͎͍̫̻͌͒̍̌̂͑̐̈́̓̓͑͋̈́̒̏̃͛̔͊̌͗͘͝õ̶͇͉̬̐͐̓͑̅͐̍͒̏̂̀̏͘̕̚͘̚͝ų̶̛̻̻̝̣̝̝̘̦̬̯̯̇̊̏̈͂̈́̅̈̈́͜͝͠ř̷̪͍̞̱̥̪͉̮͑̌̋. Before you get in trouble too.”_

 

_“...I love you sis.”_

 

_“Goodbye V̷̫̙̖̪͎̪̫̻̲̝͉͔̯͇̲̮̣̰͚͍̯͎̖͕͊̒̑͒͐̎͊͛̌͊̆̔͋͛͗̽͘̕͘̕͝ͅe̵̛̗̘͒͌́̑̐͆̂̄͊̈́̉͑̒̊͗͊͑͑̑͠ǒ̷̢̼̜̱̯̞͎͈̮͖͙͉̹̝͔̘̰͔̘͙̘̮͎̼̠̩͔͂̈́̈́͐̈̍̃̆̾̈̈́̈́̊̿͐̃̚͘͘͠͝ứ̸̡̛̗̗͍͎̪̝̺̈́̔̏̆͑̾͆̈́̒͂͊͊̉̅̌̆̑̍͘͜͝r̷̹͂̂̎̔͛̈́͆̋́͗́̑͒̐͘͠͝.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter this time around. I’m trying to make chapters shorter when I write now. It will hopefully help with speed of chapter releases and fluidity of the story. It will also make writing easier on me with my busy life and schedule. 
> 
> Nothing much happened this chapter to give room for more character interactions and a moment for our characters to “relax”.
> 
> I don’t believe I’ve ever explained how Byul looks when she floats accurately, and people may not care but I’ve found a pretty good example. She floats very alike to Sai from Farewell Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon besides the fact that her legs are not bound together and she does not need to push herself through the air like Sai does and rather, glides through it. That’s what it looks like okay? Okay. Just wanted to make that clear.


End file.
